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Pebble Mill Studios was the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's
television studio A television studio, also called a television production studio, is an installation room in which video productions take place, either for the production of live television and its recording onto video tape or other media such as SSDs, or for ...
complex located in
Edgbaston Edgbaston () is a suburb of Birmingham, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It lies immediately south-west of Birmingham city centre, and was historically in Warwickshire. The Ward (electoral subdivision), wards of Edgbaston and Nort ...
,
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, England, United Kingdom, which served as the headquarters for
BBC Birmingham BBC Birmingham is one of the oldest regional arms of the BBC, located in Birmingham. It was the first region outside London to start broadcasting both the corporation's radio (in 1922) and television (in 1949) transmissions, the latter from t ...
from 1971 until 2004. The nine-acre site was opened by
Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...
on 10 June 1971, and in addition to the studios contained two canteens, a post office, gardens, a seven-storey office block, and an outside broadcasting (OB) base. As well as being the home of ''
Midlands Today ''BBC Midlands Today'' is the BBC's regional television news service for the West Midlands (region), West Midlands. It was launched in 1964 and is presented by Mary Rhodes, Nick Owen, Elizabeth Glinka, Rebecca Wood and Shefali Oza. Overview ...
'' and BBC Radio WM, programmes produced at Pebble Mill included ''
Pebble Mill at One ''Pebble Mill at One'' was a British television magazine programme that was broadcast live on weekdays at one o'clock on BBC1, from 2 October 1972 to 23 May 1986, and again from 14 October 1991 to 29 March 1996. It was transmitted from the Peb ...
'', ''
The Archers ''The Archers'' is a British radio soap opera currently broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word Radio broadcasting, channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now pr ...
'', '' Top Gear'', ''
Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...
'', '' Telly Addicts'', ''
Howards' Way ''Howards' Way'' is a television drama series produced by BBC Birmingham and transmitted on BBC1 between 1 September 1985 and 25 November 1990. The series deals with the personal and professional lives of the wealthy yachting and business com ...
'', ''
Juliet Bravo ''Juliet Bravo'' is a television in the United Kingdom, British television police procedural drama series, first broadcast on 30 August 1980, that ran for six series and a total of 88 episodes on BBC One, BBC1. The theme of the series concerned ...
'' and ''
Gardeners' World ''Gardeners' World'' is a long-running British gardening programme, first broadcast on 5 January 1968. The 2024 series is the 55th. Its first series was presented by Ken Burras and came from Oxford Botanical Gardens. Up until 2020 most of its e ...
''. Pebble Mill Studios closed in 2004 and was demolished in September 2005; BBC Birmingham is now located in
The Mailbox Mailbox Birmingham, also known as The Mailbox, is a mixed-use development located within the city centre of Birmingham, England. It houses British luxury department store chain Harvey Nichols, and the BBC Birmingham studios. The scheme compr ...
shopping complex in Birmingham city centre.


Early history

In the 1950s, BBC Midlands was based in offices on Carpenter Road, Edgbaston. The news studio was in a separate building in Broad Street, which remained in operation until 1971. In the same complex, the studios also recorded drama productions in the former Delicia Cinema in
Gosta Green Gosta Green is an area in the city of Birmingham, England. It lies at the edge of the city centre, northeast of Birmingham New Street station. University Gosta Green is the home of the Aston University campus. The campus is also adjacent to ...
. Over time, these studios were too small for the expanding region and were hampered by being spread out across Birmingham. A change in BBC policy created the BBC Regions, based in
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
,
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
,
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
,
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
and
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
. These locations were created as 'National Production Centres', to produce television and radio productions for the areas in which they covered. Pebble Mill was designed to be an addition to London's Wood Lane Television Centre (TVC or TC). The lease for the site was acquired from the Calthorpe Estate on a peppercorn rent by the BBC. Plans for Pebble Mill were approved in 1967. This followed construction of the studios, which was designed by
John Madin John Hardcastle Dalton Madin (23 March 1924 – 8 January 2012) was an English architect. His company, known as John H D Madin & Partners from 1962 and the John Madin Design Group from 1968, was active in Birmingham, England, Birmingham fo ...
, founder of the John Madin Design Group. The site was built by
Taylor Woodrow Construction Taylor Woodrow Construction, branded as Taylor Woodrow, is a UK-based civil engineering contractor and one of four operating divisions of Vinci Construction UK. The business was launched in 2011, combining civil engineering operations from the ...
.


Television facilities

The original plan was to have a light entertainment studio (A) a regional news studio (B) and a drama studio (C) which was to be similar in size to TC6 at Television Centre.


Studio A

Studio A was the main studio (78 ft × 71 ft within fire lanes) in size, with three separate control rooms looking onto the studio floor: a production gallery, a joint vision/lighting gallery and sound control gallery. The studio opened with
EMI 2001 The EMI 2001 broadcast studio camera was an early, very successful British made Plumbicon studio camera that included the lens within the body of the camera. Four 30 mm tubes allowed one tube to be dedicated solely to producing a relatively h ...
cameras and was host to many programmes from London and locally produced programmes. Around 1982 the studios were rebuilt with more modern equipment and A was equipped with Link Electronics Ltd five 125 colour cameras and a pair of Ikegami HL79D portable cameras. The studio also found itself with a Grass valley Group 1600 series vision mixer and a Rank Strand Galaxy lighting console. During the early 1990s, the BBC technical resource department toured the UK's other BBC, ITV and Channel 4 studios to find new cameras to replace the ageing Link Electronics Ltd 125 colour cameras. Sony Broadcast BVP-370 and 70Isp's were chosen following a side-by-side shoot-out from all the big-name manufacturers and against the advice of the London head of engineering. Also, during this period all asbestos was removed from the studio, gallery spaces and the air plant. In November 1997, work began again on a major refurbishment of the studio, which included a production control room and a re-equipped sound control room. This £2.2 million upgrade took nine weeks and Studio A re-opened by the end of February 1998 as a fully digital widescreen facility – one of the first in the BBC.


Studio B

Studio B was for local news and sport programmes and was 40 × 25 ft in size. It had a combined control gallery with lighting, vision, production and sound all sited next to each other. This studio was used primarily for ''Midlands Today'' but also produced ''Network East'' and other regional programmes. Studio B was located on the first floor looking out over the central quadrangle. There was a cargo lift close to the studio doors but there was a very tight right-angle turn to get into the studio. Next to the studio was the presentation suite that was used for short morning and evening news opt-outs. Originally control facilities were provided by Studio B's galleries but in the early 1990s a new presentation suite was built into spare space and provided an island studio with its own full production/lighting/sound control gallery.


Studio C (proposed)

Part of the original plan for the complex was for a second large Drama Studio with the same size as Television Centre's TC6 Studio. It would have had dimensions of 70 feet by 92 feet. It was intended to have it sit next to Studio A with the original TAR (Technical Apparatus Room)/Dimmer Room separating them and a slightly wider scenic workshop behind. When the circular multi-story car park, with its entrance from Bristol Road, got axed due to costs the BBC had decided not to add the extra studio space as well.


The Foyer/Studio C

The studio complex was originally intended to have a third 'drama' studio – but this never materialised. Instead, the main foyer became Studio C, as space was needed for the daytime magazine programme ''Pebble Mill at One''. The new studio was built into the real life 'foyer' which had to have its suspended ceiling removed and a scaffold lighting rig installed. Audience seating replaced the reception desk and interview seating installed by the main windows. ''Pebble Mill at One'' ended in 1986 but in 1988 its almost identical replacement '' Daytime Live'' was launched. It used the same format as ''Pebble Mill at One'' and used similar content. In 1992, ''
Good Morning with Anne and Nick In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil. The specific meaning and etymology of the term and its ...
'' ( Anne Diamond and Nick Owen, both former
TV-am TV-am was a TV company that broadcast the ITV franchise for breakfast television in the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 until 31 December 1992. The station was the UK's first national operator of a commercial breakfast television franchise ...
presenters) replaced ''Daytime Live''. Construction of a conservatory studio within the courtyard area was completed and was used for cooking items and interviews. The series ended in 1996 and Nick Owen became the main anchor on ''Midlands Today''. The daytime drama series ''
Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...
'' was made between 2000 and 2004. The windows of the foyer were blacked out which was used to record the series; by then Studio A had closed. ''Doctors'' also used an additional space – radio Studio 1.


Presentation Suite

Next door to Studio B was the presentation suite that was used for short morning and evening news opt-outs. It could be entered directly by either a door from Studio B or from the outside corridor. Original control facilities were provided by Studio B's galleries but in the 1980s re-fit it gained its own control console and lighting. In the early 1990s a new presentation suite was built into spare space next pres. and provided an island studio with its own full production/lighting/sound control gallery and could operate a full daytime programme lineup of Studio B, C and Pres.


CAR/TAR (Central Apparatus Room/Technical Apparatus Room)

During the 1970s until the general refit in 1983 TAR was part of the technical rooms suite on the first floor adjoining Studio A. (This was to be the central technical link between Studio A and the original planned Studio C) This area housed the 'Line Up' desks for Studio A and B, as well as a maintenance area, the dimmer room for the studio production lighting systems and TV signal generation equipment. When the 1983 refit began it was decided that a Central area should be built combining both Studio A and B's island desks and the new Studio C area. The new CAR/TAR was in the comms area which had shrunk due to new technology making switching even more compact. Around the late 1980s early 1990s Comms Centre moved again giving Services Department a new centralised service centre in the old vacant comms centre. The new services area contained work benches for all the disciplines (Comms, VT, camera, Vision and Lighting control), a camera test area and a small mechanical workshop (situated just above the north riser with Studio C directly below. Any work in the workshop had to stop during programmes as noise would travel straight into the foyer).


Rehearsal space

At the rear of the Outside Broadcast (OB) base was a small studio space called BORIS. This space was used as a rehearsal room and for a brief period of time using Studio C's gallery, was used for the early Sunday morning ''Farming'' programme which later on became '' Countryfile'', presented by
John Craven John Raymond Craven (born 16 August 1940) is an English journalist and television presenter, best known for presenting the BBC programmes '' Newsround'', '' Countryfile'' and '' Beat the Brain''. Early life Craven was born in Leeds, West Rid ...
who had just stopped presenting ''
Newsround ''Newsround'' (stylised as ''newsround'') is a BBC children's news programme, which has run continuously since 4 April 1972. Originally ''John Craven's Newsround'', it was one of the world's first television news magazines aimed specifically ...
'' and latterly as office space and storage.


Green room

The
green room In show business, the green room is the space in a theatre, or a similar venue, that functions as a waiting room and lounge for Performing arts, performers before, during, and after a performance or show when they are not engaged on Stage (thea ...
was part of an extension into open space by the driveway to the rear car park. This new extension included workshop space for the TV lighting department, an extension to the graphics department, production design and the green room for the daytime programmes produced at Pebble Mill.


Post production, design, costume and make-up


Post production

The centre was also home to the largest and most advanced BBC post-production departments outside London, including six VT edit suites, two dubbing suites, a small viewing screen and a multitude of Avid non-linear suites. Following the 1983 refit a vast Graphics centre was opened in the old site of TAR and contained Aston caption generators, Rank Cintel Slide Files, Quantel Paintbox and Harry's and other graphic systems.


Costume

The Wardrobe/Costume department had its home in the studios central basement area just below the long glazed front window. There was a large work room with another work room containing cutting tables and sewing machines. There was also an office with several dressing rooms either side. There were also several large extras dressing rooms in the basement.


Design

Production Design Department had design offices in the central tower block until moving in the early 1990s to a new extension on spare land (originally intended for the early Light Entertainment Studio C) next to the road to the rear car park. There were offices and work rooms for set and prop design located to the rear of the extension near to the construction workshop. On the ground floor were several props cages which contained all manner of items, even a Dalek.


Make-up

Make-up had a large purpose-built complex on the ground floor next to Studio A. With seating for 6 people and small office space at one end of the glassed gallery at the front of the building.


Communications and signals

Pebble Mill formed part of the BBC's communications and transmission backbone. London's
BBC Television Centre Television Centre (TVC), formerly known as BBC Television Centre, is a building complex in White City, London, White City, West London, which was the headquarters of BBC Television from 1960 to 2013, when BBC Television moved to Broadcasting H ...
(TVC) had primary responsibility for most of the BBC's transmitted output and day to day transmission switching and presentation. Pebble Mill was the Midlands Central Switching and Monitoring Centre, and would route national channels (two television, four national radio and local radio) to the Midland transmitters at Sutton Coldfield, Ridge Hill and The Wrekin and to other parts of the UK as well as acting as a national back up to TVC in case of emergencies.


Outside broadcast – television and radio

In the late 1960s to the early 1990s, Pebble Mill had a fleet of 'Links' or scanner vehicles that were used to relay vision signals from outside broadcasts (OBs) back to the Communications Centre or 'Comms Centre' before being redistributed to London. All audio signals were sent via copper cable (Post Office/BT land lines). When satellite transmission of picture signals began in the mid-1990s, Pebble Mill gained satellite dishes and had fibre optics installed as permanent links to Birmingham's BT tower. Pebble Mill had several scanner vehicles possibly dating back to World War II when it was a
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
(RAF) term for mobile
radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
vehicles which the GPO and BBC used after the war. During the 1970s 'Comms Centre' was located in the 'Foyer' at Pebble Mill, but by the 1990s, Comms moved around the corner in the studio and was situated in the link area between Radio and TV.


Television


CMCR9 (Colour Midland 1)

CMCR9 was a Colour Outside Broadcast Unit built by PYE Electronics. This was a four camera vehicle and had a complement of 4 X Philips cameras. CMCR 9 is a Type 2 (CMCR9/C9, CM1 and North 3) originally had Pye cameras, but these had been removed after it was sold from the BBC. The BBC had started to fit it with EMI 2001 cameras, as originally fitted in the London units. CMCR9 would service big sports commitments and other large events around the Midland region. At some point the unit was transferred to the BBC Manchester Studios in Oxford Road, Manchester where it spent the rest of its working life. It and has now been restored to working order


CM1 (Colour Midland 1)

CM1 was a Type 5 Scanner built by Link Electronics. This was an eight camera vehicle and had a complement of 5 X Philips LDK5 cameras. CM1 would service big sports commitments and other large events around the Midland region such as the snooker at Sheffield, '' Grand Prix'' from Silverstone Race Track, ''
Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns, worship songs and inspirational performances in churches of varying denominations from around the UK alongside interviews and stories reflecting how Ch ...
'' and many others and it was an integral part of the BBC's nationwide TV OB fleet. Eventually CM1 was sold to ex-Pebble Mill OB crews who started Transvision Outside Broadcast.


CM 2 (Colour Midland 2)

CM2 was a 'Topical News & Drama', two-camera vehicle equipped with Philips LDK-14 cameras connected to LDK-5 CCUs (Camera Control Unit) and based on a Dennis TK chassis. In 1982, ''
Boys from the Blackstuff ''Boys from the Blackstuff'' is a five episode British drama television series, originally transmitted from 10 October to 7 November 1982 on BBC2. The serial was written by Liverpudlian playwright Alan Bleasdale, as a sequel to a television pl ...
'', an English Regions Drama production, was shot on CM2 in Liverpool. The director,
Philip Saville Philip Saville (28 October 1927 – 22 December 2016) was a British director, screenwriter and former actor whose career lasted half a century. The British Film Institute's Screenonline website described Saville as "one of Britain's most prolifi ...
, was breaking many conventions including shooting wide-angles and close-ups at the same time).


CM 3 (Colour Mobile 3)

CM3 was a single camera vehicle based on a
Renault Master The Renault Master is a large van produced by the French manufacturer Renault since 1980, now in its third generation. It replaced the earlier Renault Super Goélette light trucks. Opel has sold versions of the second and third series vans as ...
van and was similar to modern SNG vehicles. The TV OB Fleet was the first to succumb to the accountants’ spreadsheet logic, and its demise was the first tangible indicator of Pebble Mill’s televisual decline. The vehicles were sold off in 1992 despite being some of the most efficiently scheduled of the BBC’s entire OB Fleet.


Radio


Type B

Pebble Mill had a BBC Type-B vehicle which mainly tackled live religious programmes such as Radio 3's ''Choral Evensong'', or ''Sunday Worship''. A typical B-type, it featured a CALREC S-Series 40-channel sound desk with LS 5/8 speakers and nearfield monitoring. Birmingham's Type B is still operational from the Mailbox.


SCV6

SCV6 was an articulated Sound Control Vehicle which managed Radio 1 and Radio 2's popular music OBs. As one of only two SCVs in the country, it was used for live and recorded shows. The SCV was fitted with an ageing SSL 4000 console (with automation) and a Pyramix digital multitrack system. It was replaced by new "Music Trucks" in 2010.


Type C

The Type-C ‘ice-cream van’ broadcast ''
Any Questions? ''Any Questions?'' is a British topical discussion programme "in which a panel of personalities from the worlds of politics, media, and elsewhere are posed questions by the audience". It is typically broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Fridays at 20: ...
'' and sport, i.e. ''
Test Match Special ''Test Match Special'' (also known as ''TMS'') is a British sports radio programme, originally, as its name implies, dealing exclusively with Test cricket matches, but currently covering any professional cricket. The programme is available on BB ...
'' and athletics.


Sound and radio


Local radio

The centre was responsible for a large output into mainstream network radio and was also home of the local radio station Radio WM. WM had studios on the first floor linking the Comms centre and the news room.


Radio studios

The two radio studios and Local Radio Operations Room overlooked the central courtyard and between them provided all of Radio WM's production base for 35 years. In addition to WM the complex also had some of the finest sound studios outside of
Broadcasting House London Broadcasting House is the headquarters of the BBC, in Portland Place and Langham Place, London. The first radio broadcast from the building was made on 15 March 1932, and the building was officially opened two months later, on 15 May. T ...
in London.


Studio 1

Studio 1 was the main music studio at Pebble Mill with enough space to accommodate a full symphony orchestra. Initially it was used for sound recording sessions plus twice-weekly live broadcasts for Radio 3's lunchtime concerts. However, as well as radio this studio was equipped with a basic lighting grid and was used in its early years for the occasional television programme. The studio lighting was controlled from gallery 'C' from the summer of 1983. However,
John Birt John Birt, Baron Birt (born 10 December 1944) is a British television executive and businessman. He is a former Director-General (1992–2000) of the BBC. After a successful career in commercial television, initially at Granada Television and ...
's 'Producer Choice' agenda in the early 1990s forced Pebble Mill to charge unrealistic rental rates for the studio and made Studio 1 too expensive for radio use. Therefore, Radio 3 moved out to Adrian Boult Hall in the centre of the city, with the newly developed BBC Resources, turning Studio 1 into a full-time TV studio. A scene dock door was added together with the installation of a more comprehensive lighting grid. Soon after, Studio 1 was in daily use for the live transmission of The Really Useful Show. This lasted for three series, but it is understood that the long acoustic reverberation characteristics of the studio were not ideal for TV sound. Programmes that originated from Studio 1 included ''Daily Live'', ''Anything You Can Cook'' and ''Front Room''. In its final years Studio 1 was used as a sound stage for ''Doctors'', although the associated radio cubicle continued to be used to produce Radio 4's '' Farming Today'' until the closure of Pebble Mill as a whole in May 2004.


Studio 2

Studio 2 was a large music studio with an SSL 4000 console and a reverb time of about half a second. This is where aspiring music balancers were trained. Studio 2 in the 1990s was used mostly by Radio 2 as its midland sessions studio and many popular musicians performed there. There isn't a music studio of any kind at Pebble Mill's replacement facility, The Mailbox.


Studio 3 and M3

Pebble Mill's radio drama studio, Studio 3, provided much of Radio 3 and 4's drama output – it was the home of ''The Archers'', the world's longest running radio soap opera. The last ''Archers'' programme from Pebble Mill was on 13 September 2004. The Mailbox (Pebble Mill's replacement) has a smaller radio drama studio, but incorporating a larger dead-room with an anechoic ‘snail’ for long, outdoor approaches. ''The Archers'' transferred to the Mailbox studio at the beginning of October 2004 and the drama studio was designed by Mark Decker. The adjacent facility (M3 – Midland 3) was a small edit studio and had a SADiE and was primarily used for editing ''
The Archers ''The Archers'' is a British radio soap opera currently broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word Radio broadcasting, channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now pr ...
'', Radio 2's specialist music shows, and Radio 4's Midlands-based Features and Rural Affairs output.


Studio 4 and M4

Studio 4 was the chassis of a studio that was never installed, but it had an edit suite associated with it called M4 (Midland 4) where most of the Radio Drama was edited. This is where the first AMS Audiofile DAW was used in radio and was then equipped with both Audiofile and SADiE in the mid-1990s.


Studio 5

Studio 5 was the general purpose studio – over the years it was used for every form of feature or ‘strip’ programme, from ''
Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History The first BBC programme for women was the programme cal ...
'' to Radio 2's ''Ed Stewart Show'' on Sunday afternoons. The studio was refurbished at least twice and was home to ''The Richard Bacon Show'', live Saturday and Sunday nights on Radio 5. Radio 2's specialist popular music such shows as ''The Best of Jazz'', Paul Jones, and ''
Stuart Maconie Stuart John Maconie (born 13 August 1961) is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of pop music and popular culture. He is a presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music where, alongside Mark Radc ...
's Critical List'' were recorded or transmitted from there as well.


Studio 6

Studio 6 was not equipped until about 1995 but was where Radio 2 ''Through the Night'' originated, presented by
Janice Long Janice Berry (née Chegwin; 5 April 1955 – 25 December 2021), known professionally by her first married name Janice Long, was an English broadcaster who was best known for her work in British music radio. The first female presenter to have a ...
, Alex Lester and Mo Dutta. The Mailbox has facilities intended to replicate the functionality of Studios 5 and 6, as well as the M3 & M4 editing facilities.


Studio 7

There was a seventh sound studio on the first floor adjoining the local radio studios. This studio was never commissioned: it was originally an office, and later became an electronics room for the communications (Comms) centre.


Programmes

BBC Birmingham and BBC Midlands, from their initial conception, were to provide local interest and national programme output for the Midland Region. Over Pebble Mill's 35 years of operation the studios produced some of the BBC's most iconic programmes and was second to Television Centre for total output. The following is a small list of the total programme output of the complex. There were many single and short run documentaries, OBs and pilots which have come and gone over the years many of which will never be remembered.


Radio

Pebble Mill housed Radio West Midlands (Radio WM) but also produced programming for Radio 2, 3 and 4. Most of Radio 4's 1990s dramas came from Pebble Mill. Radio programming included over the years '' Woman’s Hour'', ''The Ed Stewart Show'' on Sunday afternoons. ''The Richard Bacon Show'', live Saturday and Sunday nights on Radio 5. Radio 2’s specialist popular music shows such as ''Best of Jazz'', ''Paul Jones'', ''Stuart Maconie’s Critical List'' and Radio 2's ''Through the Night'', presented by Janice Long, Alex Lester and Mo Dutta. The world's longest running radio soap, ''
The Archers ''The Archers'' is a British radio soap opera currently broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word Radio broadcasting, channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now pr ...
'', was produced in Studio 3.


Television


News and documentary

News and documentary programming included ''
Midlands Today ''BBC Midlands Today'' is the BBC's regional television news service for the West Midlands (region), West Midlands. It was launched in 1964 and is presented by Mary Rhodes, Nick Owen, Elizabeth Glinka, Rebecca Wood and Shefali Oza. Overview ...
'', the midlands region news programme, '' Inside Out'', '' Points of View'', and ''The Chequered Flag'', about the history of motor sports. The John Gau Productions/CBS/TBS coproduction '' Reaching For the Skies'' was a documentary series on the history of aviation. Also in the 1990s a news department programme, ''The Midlands at Westminster'', a local politics strand, broadcast at Sunday lunch time on BBC 2.


Light entertainment

Light entertainment included '' Telly Addicts'', '' Top Gear Motorsport'', ''Noel's Addicts'', ''
The Great Egg Race ''The Great Egg Race'' was a BBC television series, in which problem solving teams are given a challenge to design and build machines using limited resources and time, to solve a problem set by the judges. Sixty-eight episodes were produced and ...
'' with Professor Heinz Wolff, a series of ''
2point4 Children ''2point4 Children'' is a BBC Television sitcom that was created and written by Andrew Marshall. It follows the lives of the Porters, a seemingly average, working-class London family whose world is frequently turned upside-down by bad luck and ...
'', ''An Actors Life'', ''The Golden Oldie Picture Show'', '' May to December'', '' Don't Wait Up'', ''
Going for a Song ''Going for a Song'' is a British game show that originally aired on BBC1 from 31 March 1965 to 16 October 1977 and hosted by Max Robertson, with Arthur Negus appearing as the resident expert and antique valuer. It was revived on the same cha ...
'' (the 1990s version) and ''
Call My Bluff ''Call My Bluff'' is a British panel game show based on the short-lived US version of the same name. It was originally hosted by Robin Ray and later, most notably, by Robert Robinson. Its most prominent panellist was Frank Muir. The theme m ...
'' (1997–2005 revival). It also included '' Can't Cook Won't Cook'', ''A Song for Christmas'', '' The Basil Brush Show'' (1970s version) and ''Best of Brass'', a brass band competition.


General interest

'' The Clothes Show'', '' Gardeners World'', local music programme 'Look Hear', ''On the House'' a series on DIY where an entire house was built from the foundations up and the work done inside the house presented by Harry Greene and Pattie Coldwell. '' Countryfile'', ''Farming'', ''
Kick Start Kick start is a method of starting an internal combustion engine (usually that of a motorcycle) by pushing a ratcheting lever with the rider's foot. Kick start mechanisms were almost universally a part of motorcycle engines before the mid-1970s ...
'', '' Junior Kick Start''. Pebble Mill also developed lifestyle programming with ''Style Challenge'' and '' To Buy or Not to Buy''. BBC Birmingham was also responsible for a popular BBC2 programme for much of the 1970s-1990s the Snooker programme ''
Pot Black ''Pot Black'' was a snooker tournament in the United Kingdom broadcast on the BBC. Each match was contested over a single , where other tournaments were significantly longer. The event carried no ranking points, but played a large part in th ...
'', which was generally shown most Fridays throughout the year at 9pm on
BBC 2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and d ...
.


Drama

Throughout its 35-year history Pebble Mill productions of BBC drama was extensive. ''Morgan's Boy, Rose for Winter'', ''Jane Eyre'', '' Fosdyke Saga'', ''Airbase'', ''Tycoon'', ''
Bird of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...
'', and ''
A Very Peculiar Practice ''A Very Peculiar Practice'' is a British surreal black-comedy drama set in the health centre of a university, produced by the BBC, which ran for two series in 1986 and 1988. The two series were followed by a 90-minute made-for-television film ...
'' (first series). ''Owen MD'', ''
Lord Peter Wimsey Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey (later 17th Duke of Denver) is the fictional protagonist in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers (and their continuation by Jill Paton Walsh). A amateur, dilettante who solves myst ...
'' played by
Ian Carmichael Ian Gillett Carmichael, (18 June 1920 – 5 February 2010) was an English actor who Ian Carmichael on stage, screen and radio, worked prolifically on stage, screen and radio in a career that spanned seventy years. Born in Kingston upon ...
, and ''Diary of a Madman''. Episodes of ''
Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...
'', ''
The Moonstone ''The Moonstone: A Romance'' by Wilkie Collins is an 1868 British epistolary novel. It is an early example of the modern detective novel, and established many of the ground rules of the modern genre. Its publication was started on 4 January 18 ...
'', '' The Roses of Eyam'', ''Prometheus'', '' Sophia and Constance'','' Second City Firsts'', ''The Battle of Waterloo'' starring Warren Clarke, '' Poldark'', '' Martin Chuzzelwit'', and ''
Angels An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
'', Shakespeare plays, ''
Dalziel and Pascoe Detective Superintendent Andrew "Andy" Dalziel and Detective Sergeant, later Detective Inspector, Peter Pascoe are two fictional Yorkshire detectives featuring in a series of novels by Reginald Hill. Characterisation and style Dalziel is d ...
'', and '' Vanity Fair'' (1987).


Soap operas and serials

A series of ''
Pobol Y Cwm ''Pobol y Cwm'' (''People of the Valley''; ) is a Welsh-language soap opera produced by the BBC since October 1974. The longest-running television soap opera produced by the BBC, ''Pobol y Cwm'' was originally transmitted on BBC Cymru (now B ...
'' in the early 1970s, ''
Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...
'', '' Dangerfield'', '' Trainer'', '' Kinsey'', ''
Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...
'', ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' serial ''
Horror of Fang Rock ''Horror of Fang Rock'' is the first serial of the 15th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 3 to 24 September 1977. The serial is set on the ficti ...
'' in 1977, '' All Creatures Great and Small'', ''
Howards' Way ''Howards' Way'' is a television drama series produced by BBC Birmingham and transmitted on BBC1 between 1 September 1985 and 25 November 1990. The series deals with the personal and professional lives of the wealthy yachting and business com ...
'', ''
Juliet Bravo ''Juliet Bravo'' is a television in the United Kingdom, British television police procedural drama series, first broadcast on 30 August 1980, that ran for six series and a total of 88 episodes on BBC One, BBC1. The theme of the series concerned ...
'', '' This Life'', '' The Brothers'' starring Jean Anderson, and '' Spy Trap''. Pebble Mill produced '' Specials'' a short series about a group of Special Police Officers in a fictional Midlands town. and the anthology series ''The Afternoon Play''.


Children's

Children's content includes '' Rentaghost'', one series of '' Hartbeat'' with
Tony Hart Norman Antony Hart (15 October 1925 – 18 January 2009)Debrett's People of Today 2008, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 2007. was an English artist best known for his work in educating children in art through his role as a children's television present ...
, its replacement ''
SMart ''SMart'' was a British CBBC television programme based on art, which began in 1994 and ended in 2009. The programme was recorded at BBC Television Centre in London. Previously it had been recorded in Studio A at Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingha ...
'', '' The Adventure Game'', and some of '' Bodger & Badger'' (episodes of which were also recorded inside TC7 in BBC Television Centre). There were also editions of '' Play School'' and ''
Jackanory ''Jackanory'' was a BBC children's television series which was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996. It was designed to stimulate an interest in Reading (activity), reading. The programme was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, and the ...
''.


Asian Unit

During the early 1960s BBC Birmingham pioneered television programmes for the Asian community. These were presented and produced by Mahendra Kaul, directed by Ashok Rampal and broadcast on Sunday mornings. ''Apna Hi Ghar Samajhiye'' ("Make Yourself At Home") aired on Sundays at 9am for half an hour. '' Empire Road'' (1978–79), written by Michael Abbensetts was a drama series about the African Caribbean and Asian communities which was shown on BBC 2. During the late '70s and '80s ''Network East'' was produced in Studio A and B, consisting of music and interviews.


Daytime television

BBC Birmingham utilised the main foyer of Pebble Mill for television entertainment and magazine programmes, mostly for BBC1. One fixture of the schedule, ''
Pebble Mill at One ''Pebble Mill at One'' was a British television magazine programme that was broadcast live on weekdays at one o'clock on BBC1, from 2 October 1972 to 23 May 1986, and again from 14 October 1991 to 29 March 1996. It was transmitted from the Peb ...
'' was an early afternoon show, though it started originally on BBC2. The idea to use the reception and foyer for programmes was borne out of the fact, all the other studio space were either fully used for Birmingham produced, or for BBC TV's network needs for the various London based programme departments. ''Pebble Mill at One'' ran from 1972 until 1986, was then one of few daytime magazine programmes, hence its success at the time. There was at least one Pebble Mill spin-off during the 1970s, when BBC1 rested its main Saturday chat show, '' Parkinson''. BBC Birmingham was commissioned to produce a late night chat show. ''Saturday Night at the Mill'', was the result and
Kenny Ball Kenneth Daniel Ball (22 May 1930Larkin C., ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music''. (Muze UK Ltd, 1997), p. 29; ) – 7 March 2013) was an English jazz musician, best known as the bandleader, lead trumpet player and vocalist in Kenny Ball and ...
and his Jazzmen were the regular house band; they performed the show's signature tune. The programme was directed and produced in Birmingham by Roy Norton and Roy Ronnie. In 1981 an early evening version of a hit BBC1 show from the sixties called ''Six Five Special'' resurfaced during the Mill's summer break, presented by Donny MacLeod and Marian Foster. The Pebble Mill format returned in 1988 as ''Daytime Live'', renamed ''Scene Today'', and followed by ''
Good Morning with Anne and Nick In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil. The specific meaning and etymology of the term and its ...
'', both broadcast from Studio C. ''Pebble Mill'' was resurrected in 1991 and aired from Studio A, presented by
Alan Titchmarsh Alan Fred Titchmarsh (born 2 May 1949) is an English gardener, broadcaster and writer. After working as a professional gardener and a horticultural journalist, he became a radio and television presenter and a novelist. Early career Alan Fred T ...
and Judi Spiers in a format similar to ''Pebble Mill at One''.


Closure of Pebble Mill and move to The Mailbox

Due to problems with the lease and to changes in the way television was produced, as well as the fact that some sections of the building were suffering from
concrete cancer Concrete cancer may refer to: * Rebar corrosion and spalling of the concrete cover above rebar caused by the rust expansion and accelerated by chloride attack and pitting corrosion of the steel reinforcements. * Alkali–silica reaction (ASR), ...
, the BBC made the decision to relocate to new facilities. Most departments moved to
The Mailbox Mailbox Birmingham, also known as The Mailbox, is a mixed-use development located within the city centre of Birmingham, England. It houses British luxury department store chain Harvey Nichols, and the BBC Birmingham studios. The scheme compr ...
in Birmingham City Centre, but the drama department went to the newly created
BBC Drama Village The BBC Drama Village is a television production facility run by the BBC. It is operated by their BBC Birmingham branch and based largely at the Selly Oak campus of the University of Birmingham in Birmingham, England. The centre consists of f ...
at the
Selly Oak Selly Oak is an industrial and residential area in south-west Birmingham, England. The area gives its name to Selly Oak ward and includes the neighbourhoods of: Bournbrook, Selly Park, and Ten Acres. The adjoining wards of Edgbaston and Harbor ...
campus of the
University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...
. The Mailbox has facilities intended to replicate the functionality of Studios 3, 5 and 6, as well as the M3 & M4 editing facilities. The transfer was completed on 22 October 2004, 33 years after Pebble Mill opened. Remaining fixtures, furniture and technical equipment were auctioned off at Pebble Mill a few weeks later. The studios were demolished the following summer, with developers at the time planning to build a technology and science park on the site. Instead, construction of a new Birmingham Dental Hospital started there in 2014, and the facility opened in 2016. On another part of the site, a hospital was built for
Circle Health Circle Health Group is a private healthcare provider in the United Kingdom, and is the country's biggest private hospital provider. The company was founded in 2004 and rebranded as Circle Health Group in 2019 after acquiring a rival, BMI Healt ...
in 2020.


References


External links


Nostalgia site

''Labi Siffre - It Must Be Love (Official HD Music Video)''
filmed at Pebble Mill as part of ''Pebble Mill At One'' on 10 May 1984, in which the singer walks around the exterior and interior {{Authority control BBC offices, studios and buildings Television studios in England Commercial buildings completed in 1971 Buildings and structures demolished in 2005 Buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands Demolished buildings and structures in the West Midlands (county) Edgbaston History of Birmingham, West Midlands John Madin Mass media in Birmingham, West Midlands